1. Field of the Invention.
The field of the invention is devices providing boots, foot holds, or stirrups for skiers on water skis.
2. Description of the Related Art.
Water skiing has been popular for a number of years and water skis have been available for the skiers, both adult and child. Water skis typically are furnished with a permanently mounted boot or stirrup thereon, the boot consisting of a toe section and a heel section with both sections being made out of flexible rubber. The stirrup may consist of a pair of straps mounted to the ski. The boot is fastened to the top surface of the skis by tacking a peripheral extending flat edge of the boot to the top surface of the ski with small nails, screws, rivets or the like. Obviously, an adult boot is larger than a child's boot since the boot must conform generally to the person's foot for a satisfactory fit in order to keep the skis on, however there are boots with adjustable heel portions which permit some flexibility in size.
It is known to have more than one skier riding one or more skis and Tarlton, Jr., in U.S. Pat. No. 4,028,760, discloses a double slalom ski designed for a pair of skiers, the ski characterized by having one full permanent boot with toe portion and heel portion together with a plurality of additional foot straps to receive the forward portion of both the skiers' remaining feet.
In addition, Rauch, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,571,832, describes an aquatic amusement device having some similarities to a slalom ski, containing a plurality of fixed boots or stirrups upon the device.
While multiple skiers on one ski or for that matter, a pair of skis, are known, the problem of providing means whereby two skiers could ride on one or a pair of standard one-skier skis has not been addressed. In all cases known to the Inventors, boots to receive multiple skiers upon one or two skis incorporate permanent attachments to the water skis which obviously renders the skis useful substantially only for dual skiers (of course, it is possible for one skier to use the skis).
Accordingly, it would be helpful if devices were available which provided removable boots or stirrups for the water skis, the removable boots or stirrups adapted to provide either the sole boot or stirrup on each ski or to be an added boot or stirrup to the existing permanently placed boot. This would be extremely helpful in the case of an adult skier taking a child along with him on his standard skis to help the child learn balance in beginning to water ski.